Yesterday...

…was awesome! I started my day with a delicious sugar free raspberry soy latte from Coffee Buzz made by the cutest boy I know. Then I met my mom at her house and we were off to go venue shopping!

We went to four different places! We had appointments for six but one we knew was just too far out of the budget and the other we were left waiting for 20 minutes in a hideous hotel entry way….we both agreed it just wasn’t right so we bailed. We also took a lunch break halfway through at my favorite U of M restaurant, Burrito Loco. I hadn’t been there in years and it was just as delicious as I remembered (great call on that pit stop, mom!) Two of the places I absolutely loved and am planning to bring J back to.  Here are some pictures and info from their websites….let me know what you think!

St. Anthony Main Event Center

Throughout its 115 years, St. Anthony Main has played a significant role in the life and history of Minneapolis. Like proud grandparents, St. Anthony Main has embraced generation upon generation. And, although it has at times undergone extensive remodeling, St. Anthony Main still recounts memories of its distinguished past.  Today, the area is a prime and versatile location for artistic fairs, international shopping, and fine dining with exquisite views of the Minneapolis skyline.

The Event Centre itself occupies three levels of St. Anthony Main’s southern-most section, which was originally the Salisbury-Satterlee Mattress Factory. It offers a total capacity of 550 guests for a seated event or 1,000 guests for a non-seated social event. Weather permitting, the outside deck provides additional space off the main level and overlooks Historic Main Street and the Mississippi River.  St. Anthony Main Event Centre is rich with historical features, including its unique location on the Mississippi Riverfront.  Its rustic brick and exposed wood are extremely open for almost any vision you may have.

Five Event Center
Built in the late 1800s, the historic Minneapolis Fifth Precinct is now the home of FIVE Event Center. FIVE blends New York inspired contemporary design with rich colors and bold textures to create an unforgettable event.

 

Both of these venues are fantastic, but they are completely different and would host two completely different receptions. If we did St. Anthony Main it would be a little more formal with a plated sit down dinner. Five we would do heavy hor dourves or meal stations with a more casual cocktail party style set up. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

After a long day of perusing venues I met up with one of my best college girlfriends, Courtney, for dinner. We went to this new restaurant Sauce, which was awesome. It’s kind of a pimped out Noodles & Co. You place your order at the register and then they serve it to you, but they have pizzas, pastas, paninis and most importantly a good beer and wine menu. It was so great to catch up with Court over some delicious food and wine too!

My day ended just how every great day should end. With the premiers of GLEE and THE BIGGEST LOSER!

What an absolutely great day!!! Thanks for all your comments about looking at venues, they were super helpful! I’ll keep you posted on what we do!